Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Six Months


Just the other day Eleanor asked me, “Mom, are babies forever?” and I had to tell her, with much genuine sadness in my voice, “No, babies aren’t forever. They always grow up.” I wish this one didn’t have to, but he's growing up all the same, and is somehow already six months old.

So what is Win like as a six month old? He is very sociable and friendly. He loves making eye contact. Often if he is fussy all anyone has to do is just lock eyes with him for a moment. He is obsessed with faces. All babies are interested in faces of course, but he will stare and stare at faces. When I read to him and Eleanor, he prefers to turn around and watch my face rather than look at the pictures. He loves to touch and grab faces too. When Andrew comes home from work and picks Win up, the first thing he always does is reach out and put little hand on his cheek. He is super smiley. He is always giving these big, gummy smiles, with his head cocked to one side and his tongue at the roof of his mouth. He gets a bit more serious around strangers, he will stare at them critically for a while, but then usually cracks a smile. 

He is a big boy, just every so slightly under 20 lbs, 27.5 inches long, pushing the limits of 9 month sized clothes. I had to squeeze him into these cute overalls (which are 6 month sized) to take these photos. They were the first item of baby boy clothes that I bought after I found out I had a little boy on the way, and I always imagined dressing him up in them for his six month photos. They really don’t fit him anymore, but I had to do it.

He can sit supported by a boppy pillow very well, and can manage the tripod sit for a few moments. He has great hand coordination, and if he gets a hold of a toy, he almost never drops it. He seems to love having things in his hands to play with and chew on, so we have various baby toys scattered all over the house for him. We started Baby Led Weaning in earnest a few days ago. I have no idea how much he is actually swallowing, but he loves the chance to play around with food. Even after just a few days, I can see him learning. At first he would take hold of a piece of food and suck and suck and suck on it, but now he has started mashing it with his gums and managing to break off little bites (that mostly get spit out). 

On Saturday his first little tooth broke through (the bottom right incisor), but it seems to be taking its sweet time pushing up. It’s still just barely there, where I can feel it with my finger but can’t really see it. I’m anxious to see what his smile will look like when it is fully of white baby teeth.

I don’t know what it is, but all of a sudden he seems to look so much more grown up to ne. The way his face has matured in even just the last month is really dramatic. Win has always been a cute baby (in my biased opinion), but lately he has hit this level of cuteness that is just unbearable. I can’t even look at him without saying at loud, “Win! You are just too cute!” Of course it doesn’t hurt that he is almost always smiling at me. But seriously, his cuteness quotient is off the charts, with his perfect little button nose, his giant chubby thighs, his bright blue eyes, and his ridiculously long eyelashes that curl all the way up to his eyebrows. I can’t get enough of him. 

He still loves bath time, being naked, bouncing in his jumperoo, and playing with his big sister more than anything. He is almost always happy (unless he is in the car, which is still a bit of a challenge). His disposition is as sweet as honey. 


22 Weeks


23 Weeks


24 Weeks



25 Weeks


26 Weeks - One Half of a Year